Revival
by sway-babysway
Summary: Bakura wants his body back, and he'll get it... with help. Thiefshipping if you squint... really hard. Like, really.
1. Reunion

**Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters and all associated items/characters and settings belong to Kazuki Takahashi.  
><strong>**The only thing I actually own is Kiyo. (Yes this is a reupload. Fixed up some formatting. Will probably post chapter 2 next week. I'm aiming for longer chapters than in my other stories so give me a little leeway.)**

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><p>She rounded the corner of the dark street in Domino City, the house coming into plain view in front of her, the white haired boy sat upstairs in his room looking through trading cards, naturally, after all he was a duellist; yet he was also her vessel towards the one she yearned to find once again. She bent down to the grass below, her black jeans curling over the edge of her sneakers, her fingertips brushed over a small rock; big enough to gain his attention, small enough to not break the window. With a flick of her fingers it was resting neatly inside her palm, she drew back her arm and pelted the rock towards the boy's window.<p>

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><p>His head shot up and he began to stride towards his window peering down to the ground from the second floor of his house, a girl wearing a black hooded jacket looked up at him with a smirk on her face and a glint in her almost black eyes, a stark contrast to her light brown hair. It appeared as if she was acting cute, trying to beg for his attention.<br>"Do you need help?" he called down to her, all that he got in response was a simple nod, just one, small, fast and simple. He ventured away from the window and looked at himself once in the mirror, his white hair looked like it needed a small bit of a tame, the wrinkles in his blue and white striped shirt seemed a lot more prominent suddenly yet he didn't care as much as he probably should have. In order to protect himself from the cold he grabbed his pale blue shirt, slipping it on and not caring too much for the buttons. His father was out so he was able to make a clean getaway, meeting the girl right where she had been standing.

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><p>He looked to be the right boy, from what she'd known he'd been the previous holder of the Millennium Ring before it had been destroyed, yet she need not take any risks at the early stage in her plan, "So what do you need my help with?" that accent, it appeared so wretched and horrid, nothing like that last time she'd heard him speak, a foreign tone would be bedded into it now, if this was his true host before the dilemma,<br>"I need to ask you one question first, you are Ryou Bakura right?"

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><p>At first he expected her voice to be soft and sweet, that's what her image portrayed at least, but the tone that left her thin lined lips was harsh and demanding, how had she known his name though? This was all so strange to him, frightening,<br>"Y-yes, I am, may I know your name madam?" she chuckled and dipped her head low sighing,  
>"You'll know in due time Ryou, you were the last to possess the Millennium Ring correct?" Ryou had expected her to look up during his delayed response yet she kept her head low,<br>"U-uh yeah I was b-but it was destroyed, it fell into this hole in the ground o—"  
>"Over in Egypt, the original resting place of the Millennium Items blah, blah, I know the back story, look," her head shot up, her eyes peering deep into his, "The Thief King was able to come forth when you didn't hold the Item once before, he can do it again and I'm depending on this, just take me to the last place in Domino City that you felt his presence," Ryou was unsure of what to say, all her words had taken him aback, some strange girl appears at his house in the middle of the night, in the cold, knows his name, knows he once had the Millennium Ring, <em>knows<em> of the spirit of it, referred to him as the Thief King though… but nonetheless. "Take me, now, otherwise there'll be consequences Ryou," a maniacal gaze flickered over her face momentarily and he felt his body go cold, or maybe it was just the weather, _do as she says idiot, if she knows the spirit then she could definitely be trouble_,  
>"Follow me then."<p>

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><p>Ryou lead her towards a church, <em>a church, of all the places… had he become a sap over 5000 years?<em> "So the last time I ever felt him as such was here, I was running away from him actually, and then once I got in here the windows smashed open and he took over once again," she ignored the rest of him pointless rambling and gazed around the place, the windows had obviously been redone, coloured glass filling the frames, "Why do you need to find him anyway?" she spun back around on her heels to face the white haired boy,  
>"He and I… we have a lot of catching up to do,"<br>"So you do know him? Like actually know him, the spirit?" she nodded slowly and saw the youth's eyes widen, "How?"  
>"He was a human before he was a spirit Ryou, he still has the capability to be a human again if he tried hard enough; Atem could do it so that means he could too." Her fists balled and teeth ground at memories of the Pharaoh,<br>"Oh, w-well, I don't know what to do now… I'm sorry," she let out a heavy sigh and looked at the boy, he seemed so apologetic and innocent,  
>"But I do," she reached into her back pocket pulling out one single card,<br>"You have trading cards?" all she responded with was a small nod before placing the card on the ground, "What're you doing?" he queried,  
>"Now we wait," she went and stood back next to Ryou as the Diabound rose from the card, a smirk entwining its way into her tight stitched poker face,<br>"What're we waiting for?" she held a finger against her lips to silence him and noticed him eye her weirdly. A dark echoing laughter encased them, as it grew louder she began to laugh along, "No… he's back, make him stop!" he cried out,  
>"Of course not Ryou, I didn't wait five thousand years to listen to your pleas," beside her he fell to the ground in a heap, and all she did was continue to laugh.<p>

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><p>Pain took over his whole body and he felt himself begin to lose consciousness, hadn't that girl said the spirit could have his own body? The more the pain spread the less he could sense of the world around him, why would she do this to a complete stranger?<br>_Because you fool, she's desperate_, he screamed as that voice rung inside his head,  
>"No… make him st-stop p-please!" he looked back at the girl who shook her head, that maniacal glint back in her eyes, her and the spirit obviously got along well, they were both evil,<br>_Quit your whining_, it spoke to him again. He clenched his teeth and screamed once more, "At least let me know your name!"  
>"Kiyo," she spat and kicked him in his side, "Now hurry up and let my Thief come back to me," her thief? He groaned in pain before his face hit the cold of the church floor, his world going black.<p>

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><p>He brushed the fringe out of his eyes and stretched his arms right above his head, "Been a while has it?" he looked over at the source of the voice and smiled, not smirk like he usually did, but actually smiled,<br>"How did you know that would work Kiyo?" he questioned as he readjusted the wrinkled clothes Ryou had been wearing,  
>"Diabound was always your Shadow Monster, so I presumed putting out the card where your host last felt you would draw you back," he walked towards her with his arms outstretched, his heart jumping a little when she wrapped her arms around him in response, he hadn't hugged her for years, heck, he hadn't <em>seen<em> her for years. "I thought you were dead… you never even tried to find me,"  
>"Well it wasn't like you tried that hard to find me either Kiyo," he brushed the tears away from her cheeks and pouted a miniscule amount at the eyeliner running down her cheeks, "You need not worry anymore, you've found me again."<p>

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><p>It still seemed unrealistic; to not only have seen him once again, but to hear him say her name, hold her once again. They were never lovers, just best friends, friends to the highest level they saw possible, both were slaves of Zorc yet kept their lives free and excitable.<br>"I want my card back," she murmured burying her head into his chest again, feeling it vibrate as he chuckled at her statement. It wasn't the same as last, naturally it wouldn't be, and it was his host's body, not his. His skin lacked its Egyptian tan, the accent of his voice was replaced with a British one, his hair was relatively the same, yet the one thing she'd loved about him had disappeared. Looking up she lifted her hand to his face, tracing where his scar had been,  
>"You miss it being there don't you?" she nodded slowly, he took a hold of her hand and bent down to pick up her card, "I believe this belongs to you," with a small laugh she snatched the card from his pale hand and slipped it right back into her pocket,<br>"I also believe we have some catching up to do," she quipped as they began walking hand in hand out of the church,  
>"Indeed, a few thousand or so years if you ask me, wow, how did we <em>not<em> manage to go mad?" she shrugged as the cold air blew in their faces,  
>"Not entirely sure, I think I went mad once, I used to go from place to place every few years, a lot of people got freaked out by the fact I was immortal. I spent the whole time trying to locate whoever had taken the Millennium Ring, I wanted to find you again; life's considerably harder without your best friend to keep you company." He hummed along to her last statement as some sort of agreement,<br>"I _know_ I went mad several times. I missed having you around like hell, but being trapped with nothing but my own thoughts for years, it was painful and crazy, every now and then someone would get the ring. They would be overwhelmed by the power I had, I scared the living daylights out of them, and that was where I found my joy, possessing and torturing whoever held the damned object." She listened intently as he continued on; her life seemed easy compared to his, "Then after so many years it got to Ryou, which lead to me going back to the Pharaoh, thank Ra, yet I failed,"  
>"I know, I felt the pull as well Bakura, it was like part of me was ripped from my chest, I knew I was going to be safe but I felt him be destroyed, I felt myself lose you all over again." Her head hung low as she spoke, a gentle arm found its way around her shoulder as the fingers unlaced themselves from her hand,<br>"I'm sorry, I never intended to make you hate me," she laughed and shrugged his arm off,  
>"You never intended to make anyone hate you, it was just 'how you rolled'," he smiled dimly and they picked up their pace a little, "Where are you taking me?" she queried as she followed him around a corner,<br>"Well, it's only proper etiquette to introduce my two best friends to each other is it not?" Her brow furrowed as they continued walking through the confusing Domino City, it was her first time here yet Bakura seemed to know his way around pretty well compared to her, then again, he _had_lived here for a few years due to his host.

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><p>"Do you know where you're going Bakura?" He looked back at her with a smile and strode up towards the door, he was ninety percent sure he was at the right house; he'd only been here once or twice when Marik had moved in. With a shaky breath he knocked on the door,<br>"In a minute!" he laughed quietly at the sound of the voice behind it, yes, he'd gotten it right. The door unlocked and the blonde stared him down, eyes widening as he took in Bakura's appearance, "B-Bakura… I, I thought you'd died…" he shook his head and could have sworn he saw the blonde's eyes let out a small tear,  
>"You can't defeat the shadows Marik, I was still here, I just… needed help to come back," at that moment Marik looked over Bakura's shoulder and raised an eyebrow, Bakura simply chuckling knowing exactly what he was about to ask.<p>

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><p>Marik's head was a fluster of emotions, joy over the fact Bakura hadn't died, recurring grief from when he thought that he had, and confusion over who the bloody hell this girl was, <em>bloody hell… that makes me sound like Bakura… whoops, stupid binky boy<em>.  
>"Who's—"<br>"Her name's Kiyo," he gathered his question was predictable and didn't bother to query as to how Bakura was able to cut him off, "She helped me return, you should be thankful towards her Marik, if it weren't for her and her knowledge of my true personality back in Egypt I might have never returned,"  
>"E-E-Egypt!" he sputtered out, the girl was Egyptian? How, she looked so far from it, unless… <em>'My true personality back in Egypt'<em>, she was as old as Bakura, "Wait, doesn't that make her as old as you? But how, wouldn't she be like dead or something, I mean, _you're_ not dead but you were trapped in that ring thing Ryou had. So how is she alive!" the girl chuckled, pushing her hair out of her face before she spoke,  
>"Because Blondie, I used to be able to do this thing called magic and thanks to the powers of Zorc, Bakura and I can pretty much exist forever, we just need bodies. Unlike Bakura I kept mine, he on the other hand got stuck in that stupid ring and in turn lost his," Marik was still confused, so, <em>so<em> much, but all that mattered was that Bakura came to him, Bakura, the biggest jerk he'd ever met other than his father and Kaiba.  
>"I'm going to ignore the fact you mildly insulted me then and let the two of you inside because it's cold and Bakura and I have catching up to do," the girl laughed loudly once more as Bakura walked inside smiling,<br>"Oh Marik, you think you have catching up to do with Bakura, try five thousand years buddy,"

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><p><strong>AN Hey guys. So um, been a while since any chapter stories have appeared on my account. As you can see I've branched away from writing just about Short Stack, seeing as they're a band of three boys it was a little monotonous after a while. You can only do so much with three well known 'characters', so supposedly I've moved onto Anime I guess. Yu-Gi-Oh here, I might write a Death Note one at one stage.**

**Okay now I'm rambling. Kiyo is my OC as stated in the summary, I'll give you a better description on her appearance etc. later. If you know Yu-Gi-Oh! then you should know who Bakura, Ryou and Marik are. A HUGE THANKS to Individually Packaged and Sparkles the Awesome for reading this before I posted it and helping me with errors and stuff. R&R? **


	2. Past Lives

**Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters and all associated items/characters and settings belong to Kazuki Takahashi.  
><strong>**The only thing I actually own is Kiyo.**

**A/N** Hey look it's at the start this time. I'm unsure as to how many people read this, but out of those who do I'd love for one of you to help proof read before I upload. I often don't notice things when reading through so that'd be helpful. I'd say 'be my beta' yet in the pure essence of a noob I have no idea how that works *waves white flag* woo.

Anyway, here's chapter two. If anyone wants information on Kiyo let me know and I'll add it to the start of the next chapter. AND FINALLY **MERRY CHRISTMAS!**

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><p>Bakura felt as though a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, his two best friends were getting along at that moment, despite the fact Marik seemed envious of the bond still existing between him and Kiyo. It surprised him that it still existed over the five thousand years they'd been separated. There was a small knocking at his door and he rolled over in the bed, the light from the doorway causing him to squint,<br>"M-Marik? What're you doing here? You should be sleeping you moron," Marik let out a small chuckle as he sat down on the edge of Bakura's bed,  
>"I missed you, and you should be sleeping too, it's not every day you reinhabit your Yadonushi," the white haired man let out a gruff sigh,<br>"Look back when I was around you never came in here late at night because 'you missed me', what is it you want? I can read you like a book Ishtar; something is bothering the hell out of you," he fidgeted with the gold rings around his neck and looked down at the floor,  
>"I just, that girl, she confuses me and—"<br>"She's threatening you isn't she? The fact that she and I knew each other before I met you threatens you; you're scared I'll run off with her," Marik was silent for a few moments, Bakura trying his best to suppress the chuckle that had lodged itself into his throat,  
>"Wait what… me, Marik Ishtar, threatened by a girl? No, never! Dear Ra Bakura you <em>can<em> be rather stupid at times," Bakura stretched his arms high above his head, it felt weird to be put back into a body after a period of just being suspended in darkness, it would take him a little while to readjust to the feeling of Ryou's body being his home.  
>"So Marik, what on <em>Earth<em> do you actually want?" he shrugged, a small groan escaping from Bakura, he was beginning to get frustrated with Marik at that moment,  
>"I was curious about… about what you were like back when that girl knew you,"<br>"First off, her name is Kiyo, and secondly, I'm pretty sure she would give you a better description than I would be capable of. After all wouldn't it be a little biased coming from me regardless?" With a small nod he had left the room, _probably to go see Kiyo, she'll be a miserable thing when disturbed_.

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><p>There was a soft knock at her locked door, dagger glares towards whoever the culprit was were shot towards it despite the fact it was closed,<br>"Whoever the fuck it is open the door so I know who to kill in the morning," the knocker obviously ignored the threat laced within her words upon irritation, _but then again idiot it was probably just slurred, you _are_ still half asleep_, blonde hair and lavender eyes came into her half-lidded gaze, "Oh it's just you Namu,"  
>"Marik," Kiyo sat up drowsily rubbing the sleep from her eyes which had started to form,<br>"The fuck is Marik?"  
>"I'm Marik," and suddenly she didn't feel so tired anymore,<br>"N-no, wait," she let her gaze wander around the room, it was modern, okay; so she'd thought she was in Egypt again, _damn Bakura, seeing him making me think I was back in Ancient Egypt with fucking Namu_, "Okay, yeah you are, I thought you were someone else that's all," he awkwardly nodded letting one arm lean against the door frame to support him, "So what'd you want Namu?"  
>"Marik,"<br>"Yes, what'd you want _Marik_?" she hadn't meant to sound so snappy but then again it was the youth's own fault for waking her at such an ungodly hour of the night.  
>"Well, I was talking to Bakura, and I asked him about what he was like when you knew him and…" she got the gist of what the guy was getting at, he continued going on saying how Bakura wouldn't explain himself due to it being biased or something, which was true, Bakura would make out he robbed tombs everyday and had all these bitches in his shitty little mud brick house in Kul Elna which was pretty much ruins to live in. When in reality, it took him around two weeks to rob a tomb and he usually got injured at least once whether it be from the actual tomb or the guards, Kiyo was pretty much his only bitch, and she wasn't even his bitch at that. She was his <em>friend<em>, and as for his house, well, as stated, it was basically ruins,  
>"So in short, you want me to tell you what Mr Moody Pants in there was like around 5000 years ago?" he nodded and she let out a hefty sigh, "Well, what do you want first; appearance or attitude?" Marik shrugged and Kiyo had to resist the urge to snap at him for his indecisiveness though it was very, <em>very<em> mild, "Fine whatever, I'll go with personality, it all depended on what had happened during that course of the day. Good day, happy Bakura, crazy, and highly suggestive, he'd also share his loot with you; which was food most of the time, so good Bakura was the best. Bad day, isolated Bakura, he'd go into the desert and train Diabound, which would explain how it got so strong… and why even more of the village was a wasteland. Depending on how long he felt shit you could possibly starve, most of the time I'd go steal for myself. Imagine someone giving you the cold shoulder, times that by one thousand and bam, _that's_ Bakura when he's grumpy,"  
>"I can hear you Kiyo," a small smirk traced the figure of her lips, "None of that's true Marik, ignore it,"<p>

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><p>Marik now understood why Bakura told him to ask Kiyo after his small interjection,<br>"Whatever Bakura," he voiced towards the door before turning his attention back towards the girl, "What about appearance?" the brunette in front of him smiled as if reminiscing upon her past,  
>"He had the same skin colour as yours and mine, slightly darker than me I think, yet lighter than you. Somewhere around there, his hair was a grey kind of colour, his eyes a dark purple." Her eyes clouded over and Marik feared she was going to cry, he had no idea how to deal with girls, let alone crying sobbing sloppy girls, which Kiyo would be if she started to cry. "The best part about him though… the one part I truly miss other than his red robe he always wore, was his scar," Marik's blood ran cold at those words, <em>scar? Bakura had a scar yet never told me? Then again, it probably didn't cover his whole fucking back like mine does<em>,  
>"W-where was it?" Kiyo laughed quietly before she leant towards him, Marik's mouth went dry, what was she about to do? Her finger went to just below his right eye and began moving downwards to just above his jaw,<br>"It went down like that, and then across like this," she removed her finger and dragged it horizontally twice, once a little below his eye and the next a small distance under that.  
>"Ho-How did he get it?" I laugh escaped the girl's mouth that he thought never would, she'd worn such a strong exterior upon meeting the boy for the first time it shocked him when she giggled, like, <em>actually<em> giggled at him, _I wasn't even trying to be funny_,  
>"You sound nervous, why? I'm not going to bite you or anything, I bet Bakura has already done that, I've seen the way he looks at you. Jeez it's worse than the way he looked at Namu, that probably explains why he likes you so much," his brow knitted in the centre, why had she kept saying Namu? Wasn't that just some random name he used in Battle City? <em>Maybe not<em> "You okay there Marik? You seem pretty lost, if it's because of my change in mood it's probably because I've slept a bit now, so everything kind of settled. Just be more wary if you need to wake me again, Bakura can tell you that sometimes it can be dangerous to disturb me." With one tiny nod he left the room, a nagging feeling in the back of his head telling him he'd forgotten something, _Namu_, he spun around to look back through her doorway only to find her already curled up and resting once more, he'd _have_ to ask in the morning.

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><p>His eyes gazed over the vibrant sands, mentally noting that even though the entire surroundings were vacant they still appeared full of life. Bakura often ventured back to these times in his dreams, back to when he still had a family; even though that would usually end in a terror of some sorts consisting of flames and chokingly thick smoke. A dry wind sounded over the horizon followed by the comforting sound of hooves against the grains, <em>Kiyo<em>. It didn't surprise him that his mind would take him back to a moment like this after having seen the girl again for the first time in so many millennia. The image in front his eyes wavered as a strong scent hit his sense, was that _bacon_? Kiyo must have already been up, he'd never thought of her as a morning person the whole time he'd known her, then again, he hadn't been around _at_ morning to tell if she was a morning person or not. With hazy eyes he rose from his spot on the bed and flattened out the clothes that still rested on his figure after having been too lazy to get changed the previous night. Once in the kitchen he spotted Marik resting his head tiredly on the marble table top in the dining area, Kiyo dancing around the kitchen making a mockery of the place,  
>"You better clean that up, Marik doesn't look like he could even stand,"<br>"Need… Coffee… Soon…" he let out drowsily; Bakura helped himself to what was required knowing Marik's house practically back to front from his previous stays during Battle City.  
>"You do know he's vegetarian right?" he whispered into Kiyo's ear as he brushed past her,<br>"No, but I don't really care, he can have toast, there's bread here."  
>"It's <em>his<em> house you twat, you should probably obey what he wants," she growled and spun around eyes locking with that of his own,  
>"Fine. But I'm not throwing out what I've already cooked." With a gentle smile Bakura left and placed a cup in front of Marik and one in front of himself, one being coffee and the later tea.<br>"Drink up, and then you can tell her off," lavender eyes looked up through the blonde fringe, eyeliner smudged beneath them, "What kept you up last night?" he leant forward to prevent the other from having to raise his voice too much,  
>"Namu…" he let out in a sleepy whisper finally taking a sip of the hot beverage before him,<br>"Wait what?" Had he heard correctly? _Bloody Kiyo_, she'd mentioned the name several times last night, Marik would have been so confused, and what else had she said? '_Jeez it's worse than the way he looked at Namu, that probably explains why he likes you so much_', _I will fucking stab that girl in her god damned sleep_. Gritting his teeth together he began to drink his tea, eyes darting towards the girl every so often, she had never been able to keep her mouth shut, only when necessary or if the matter was one of life and death. Having noticed the delayed silence he looked back at Marik who now sat quietly drinking his coffee, Kiyo joined them at the table with a sly grin,  
>"Good morning boys, why are we so exhausted?"<p>

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><p>Now was his chance, both Bakura and Kiyo sat before him, he'd been up all last night due to his mind being restless. Everytime he closed his eyes all he could see was red and smoke, it terrified him, and when his eyes were open all he could think about was who the hell Namu could have possibly been.<br>"W-Who's Namu?" his voice quivered more than he thought, Bakura looked at him with concern yet Kiyo kept her eyes downcast and eating, "Well? Who is he? Kiyo mentioned him last night, said I looked like him and stuff, I want to know who he is…" Bakura sighed heavily and placed a reassuring hand upon Marik's,  
>"You believe in past life stuff right? Well, Namu… he,"<br>"He was a friend of ours, you in a past life, he held the Millennium Rod at one stage which would explain the connection you had to it, let's just hope you don't start feeling the same way he did towards me." Marik frowned in confusion at her words looking to Bakura for an explanation,  
>"Story for a rainy day, need not to worry about it right now. But yes, in your past life you were friends with us, friends with Kiyo beyond my death, I'm confused as to how your family got from being within the palace to merely tomb keepers, but it's true." He let out a small 'huh' sound and took another drink, "That reminds me," Marik looked up and into the pale one's brown eyes, wondering what they would have looked like being dark purple as Kiyo described to his last night, "Marik, show Kiyo a picture of your sister could you? I think she'd be rather interested by it," he reached into his pocket retrieving a mobile phone and scrolling to find a picture of Ishizu,<br>"Oh come on, why in Ra's name would I be interested in what his sister lo—" her words cut off as he turned the screen towards her, using his other hand to bring the cup to his mouth yet again.

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><p>The resemblance was uncanny, <em>Isis? No, wait… Namu and Isis were brother and sister were they not? So this would make perfect sense,<em> "It's exactly like Isis…"  
>"Her name's Ishizu," Marik spoke, more into the cup than to her, "But if you said that Namu guy looked like me then I guess it would make sense if Ishizu looked like someone as well I suppose," she gazed over at Bakura who bore a smug grin having predicted her reaction,<br>"Namu and Isis were brother and sister, Isis held the Millennium Necklace for her entire servitude, Namu held the rod only after Priest Seto became Pharaoh as they needed someone to have it and you, well _Namu_, being close to the palace as he was became the holder." Images and memories flashed before her eyes, one making her feel sick straight to the gut and tear her eyes away from those of Marik's.

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><p><strong>Are the line breaks between points of view annoying? My noob essence makes it the only way I know FF will let me do this. If you think of another way let me know. R&amp;R ~<strong>


	3. A Plan

**Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters and all associated items/characters and settings belong to Kazuki Takahashi.  
><strong>**The only thing I actually own is Kiyo.**

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><p>Bakura could sense Kiyo's unease and cleared his throat in an attempt to loosen the atmosphere which had settled over the three of them,<br>"So um… Kiyo, why on Earth were you so determined to find me? Other than the obvious,"  
>"I can give you your body back," Bakura almost sent tea flying across and straight at Marik in surprise, "I <em>was<em> a magician remember _Touzoku_?" his nerves tingled as the familiar word left her lips,  
>"Y-yes, but how will you even achieve that?" she smiled and Marik listened in eagerly,<br>"Well, now that our souls are no longer tethered to those of Zorc we're practically free, if I go back to the last place your true body was then using a spell thingo I can put you back into it and you won't need Ryou anymore," he felt a little queasy at the thought of not having Ryou around, he'd grown accustomed to having to share a consciousness with another person over all this time and he'd grown closer to Ryou than to his other hosts. Some could consider the pair 'friends' in a way.  
>"So where would we have to go?" Bakura's stare was transferred to Marik as he spoke up stronger than he had before,<br>"Egypt, Kul Elna to be exact," rage and despair flared inside the white haired individual, he hadn't been to Kul Elna in so many years; the memories it held far too catastrophic for him to withstand any longer. "Trust me 'Kura, I would rather not go back there either, but if it'll help you go back to how you were once were, _appearance wise_, then I'm prepared to do it. I hope you are as well," he watched with hollow eyes as she stood from the table and took her plate to the sink, proceeding to rinse it and place it in the drying rack.  
>"Bakura," Marik grabbed his attention in the first syllable, "What's… what's so bad about Kul Elna?" he looked down at his hands to see his fingertips rattling against the crockery edge of the cup,<br>_Stop it, snap out of it. You're never this weak; you're being pathetic_,  
>"It's where I lived back during my time," huh, <em>my time<em>, it seemed so strange to refer to it as that, Marik seemed to notice and gave him a small smile,  
>"So you haven't been there for years I'm guessing?" Bakura nodded at his presumption,<br>"Yeah, when I followed Yugi and the Pharaoh to Egypt I didn't go near Kul Elna, I simply followed all of you to where the tablet was," He took a sip of his drink and looked over to see Marik glancing at him with hollow eyes,  
>"You… You were there… you saw me… b-but… you… you didn't even say hello at all," a hit of guilt and regret shot straight to the paler one's heart, he probably should have gone to see him, but deep down Bakura knew it would only make it worse when he left. Marik had gotten all that time to grieve and get over him, seeing him once more would have only made it worse if Kiyo had never found him. <em><br>What if she never did…?_ He ground his teeth together, no, he wouldn't think of 'what if's that needn't be thought of.  
>"It was… for the best I suppose, if Kiyo never found Ryou then I still wouldn't be here, I would have only made any loss worse by coming back."<p>

* * *

><p>Marik felt sick in the stomach, Bakura could have seen him, <em>but he didn't<em>, he thought it was 'for the best' _it wasn't_,  
>"<em>I <em>had to see Ryou though, how did you think I felt having to see your host all that time? He reminded me of you, _constantly_, but I had to pretend, put on a smile and do my duty. I knew that if I did I'd rid the world of the Pharaoh, that was my goal and I accomplished it, pushing aside my pain. I couldn't lead on that I missed you as much as I did, you were my only friend other than Odion who I pretty much classed as my brother, but if Ishizu or Odion noticed me missing you they'd think I was still an evil bitch, which I believe I partly am, think about it Bakura, you can never truly destroy darkness. You've said so yourself." He watched as Bakura just sat there, running his finger around the rim of the cup which held his beverage,  
>"That should have made you realise I wasn't gone Marik, if you remember me saying that you should have known I wasn't gone, at least not forever," Marik tried to stutter out a reply to what he had said yet not a single word could escape his mouth, "But as they say the past is the past, we cannot change that now. Just remember I won't ever be entirely gone, that's pretty much impossible until I have my body back and Kiyo releases the spell upon us both," Bakura spoke as he left the table, taking his cup with him. Marik peered down at his shaking hands,<br>_Curses Bakura, why does he always get me so wound up at times? How had we even managed to work together?_

* * *

><p>"Kiyo," there was a soft knock at her closed door accompanied by the British tone, "Kiyo open the door,"<br>"Open it yourself Touzoku," she heard him release a heavy sigh at her use of the old name she had called him in the past,  
>"There, happy?" he snapped, closing the door behind him. She rolled over on the bed so that she could face him, plastering the goofiest smile she possibly could onto her face,<br>"So, what is it you want of me Bakura-sama? You may sit if you wish," she gestured to edge of the bed for him to sit,  
>"What exactly is your plan for getting me my body back?" her grin switched to that of a sly smile, "I know it involves Kul Elna, but what is it you're planning on doing once we actually get there?"<br>"Well, you remember I was a magician right? Meaning I have access to powerful Heka and spells which people these days would regard as idiotic tales, yet you and I know different. Believe it or not, I can still tap into to it even today, if you try hard enough when you get your body back you can probably call upon Diabound. Anyway, that's mildly pointless, but as I was saying," she saw him starting to chuckle due to her rambling nature,  
>"You still ramble, even after all these years, rarely able to get to the point, prove it. Bring forth Necrofear, show me it's still possible," his sudden demand and interjection startled her; alas she would obey him as she always did. 'Find me again if we ever part,' and she did, 'Avenge my death,' and she did, 'Help me break into the palace,' oh she sure as <em>hell<em> did. Concentrating hard the air around her grew cold and shadows began to encase the room, eventually a weakened Necrofear materialised from the darkness,  
>"Sorry it's so weak…" she muttered, a comforting hand placed upon her shoulder,<br>"It's understandable for it to be damaged, how bad was it after I left?" she struggled to smile as she shrugged her shoulders in response,  
>"As in my living conditions or as in Necrofear's wellbeing?" her voice regaining a little confidence,<br>"Necrofear was my main thought, but tell me all if you so wish," he got himself a bit more comfortable and close to her,  
>"I should probably start from somewhere appropriate," she sighed and began the story.<p>

**She huddled behind the tall pillar inside the now empty tomb of Kul Elna, hunching over the body of her now deceased friend, tears slowly falling down her face, "I could have helped you, you do know that, but no. I was foolish; I obeyed you as always, you told me to not get involved. I know you're inside that ring but it's not the same 'Kura, NOT THE SAME!" sobs wracked her body, suddenly silencing as footsteps could be heard, she rose to her feet and stood in front of Bakura's dormant body, "Who goes there?" she called to the darkness, using the sleeve of her red robe to wipe some of the smudged kohl from beneath her eyes. It matched that of Bakura's the two stole them at the same time as a way to signify themselves, he was renowned wide as the Thief King and she was sometimes referred to as nothing but the Thief Princess yet in 'Kura's eyes she was viewed more as the Queen. "WHO GOES THERE?" she shouted out again, slowly retrieving a small dagger from the back of her skirt,  
>"Kiyo, drop the dagger," she knew the voice,<br>**_**Namu**_**, she fell to her feet, the dagger clanging loudly against the rocks,  
>"Kiyo don't harm me, I came to see if you were okay," Namu walked forth from the shadows into the small patch of light, his purple robes contrasting with the gold that adorned his arms, his appearance radiating palace material,<br>"Why should you care for me? I am nothing but scum; I am as good as dead as Bakura is. You on the other hand are made for the palace; look at you compared to me Namu, you stand there in clean clothes and gold whilst I wallow in the shadows with nothing but one dress and a stolen red robe to match that of my now gone counterpart." The eyes which gazed upon her were surprisingly filled with similar grief as hers, she had entirely forgotten that Bakura was Namu's friend as well, "I-I'm so sorry Namu, I didn't mean to—"  
>"It's perfectly fine, trust me, it would have been expected. You've just lost the one friend you've ever had from the start and I could have stopped them from killing as could have you. Feel free to blame me all you want, even more so due to what I have been offered."<br>**_**Offered, what in Ra's name could he have been offered?**_** "What, what have you been offered?" her sobs had finally stilled, she looked at the edges of her sleeves, the red now a strange deep maroon due to the kohl,  
>"You know that Bakura succeeded in part of his plan, Pharaoh Atem is dead," a sickening smile graced her complexion as the words left Namu's mouth, that wretched Pharaoh had died, <strong>_**finally**_**, "And now Priest Seto is the new Pharaoh," she couldn't hold it that time, she laughed out loud remembering the run ins her and Priest Seto had over the past year, he was highly gullible and could easily turn into wet sand in her palm, "You find that funny Kiyo?"  
>"He's like putty, a gullible human, did you not hear how he almost succumbed to the mighty power of Zorc?" she gazed up from under her fringe, Namu smirking at her statement,<br>"But Kiyo-san, if that makes him gullible then aren't you and 'Kura gullible as well for having already joined forces with Zorc Necrophades?"  
>"Baka," she spat at him, a low chuckle shot her way,<br>"As I was saying Kiyo, Priest Seto was the holder of the Millennium Rod as you would know, and now they require someone else to guard it as part of the Pharaoh's court,"  
>"You've been offered the role haven't you?" Namu nodded at her assumption, "Naturally you will accept will you not? Otherwise they will treat you the same way they treated Bakura-kun," he nodded once more and she sighed, "Presumably that would cause us to both become enemies now would it not?"<br>"Not necessarily, just because I will be part of the Pharaoh's guard will not cause anything between us to change. Consider me your get out of jail card, if you ever land yourself in the palace dungeon I can easily set you free without anyone noticing your absence," he stated matter-of-factly,  
>"Seto-sama will not let me go so easily, I am known by some as the Thief Princess, give me due time and I shall become that of a Queen to the Palace Town," Namu groaned at her words,<br>"Kiyo, I don't see that too be much of a wise thing to do, not to shun your talents but 'Kura was able to rob the tomb of Ahknemkhanen, you however bear a scar from trying to rob a house surrounding the Palace Court,"  
>"Give me time Namu. Time will prevail, I will avenge Bakura and claim the ring, I will reunite with him, for he is my Aibou and I shall not let his death be in vain." <strong>

"So tell me then Kiyo, did you live up to your word?" she tilted to lock her eyes with his, a few solemn tears had left as she retold the harsh night of his death,  
>"I did. I got captured once you know?" he chuckled and put an arm around her shoulder, bending close to whisper into her ear,<br>"I remember, for that was the night you reclaimed the ring silly, how on Earth could I forget?" She smiled and stood off the bed,  
>"Well, I have some work to do 'Kura, I must arrange transport for us to Kul Elna that is presuming you're still up for the plan?'<p>

* * *

><p>Bakura swallowed hard and nodded, he wanted to get his body back; he <em>really<em> did. But the whole idea of returning to Kul Elna was what terrified him, he feared the memories would resurface once again; he'd gone so many years without them.  
>"Of course Kiyo, I just feel a little uneasy about having to return, how are you even going to go about this anyway?" he was met with a sly grin from his younger companion,<br>"Remember how easily _one_ Seto turned into my puppet? Well, word has it there's Seto's descendant living here; surely he has some sort of private jet we could use?" She was right, he did, the Blue Eyes White Jet, but there would be no way he would let him, Kiyo and Marik borrow it to travel all the way to Egypt,  
>"He won't let you borrow it," he said bitterly, it didn't faze her at all as she shrugged smiling,<br>"'Kura, _putty_, I will make him let us. Even if it requires me resorting to the way I once got a Seto to obey my word,"  
><em>Oh Ra no… she wouldn't seriously do <em>that_ again would she?_ "Kiyo…" a shrill sound filled the room as she laughed, "Kiyo don't,"  
>"Fine, but I'm allowed to have some fun." He couldn't argue with her there, it was always fun to rustle up Seto Kaiba, yet Bakura had learned where Kaiba's lines were drawn, Kiyo had no idea at all.<p>

* * *

><p>Marik had agreed with Kiyo at the idea of getting the jet, but due to having been around Kaiba during the whole Battle City Tournament he sided with Bakura on letting her ask. Letting Kiyo, if she was still the way she once was, try and obtain access to Seto Kaiba's <em>highly<em> expensive Blue Eyes White Jet, could end badly, _very_ badly. The trio sauntered up towards the door of KaibaCorp, Mokuba greeting them shortly after knocking;  
>"Bakura? I thought you had died?" he shook his head, Kiyo trying to get past him, he pushed her backwards with a shift of his shoulder and could practically feel the dagger glares she was directing at him, "Oh and Marik's here… so what is it you two want? My brother has a lot of work to do but I'm sure he'd take some time out to talk to old fr—" He stopped himself short of saying 'friends', an ashamed look passing over his face. At that moment Bakura had let his guard down, Kiyo pushing past him to stand before the young boy,<br>"Friends is a highly incorrect term, if Seto knows anything about his past life he should regard 'Kura and I as mere enemies and Marik as nothing but a rotten traitor," Bakura's brow creased,  
><em>Traitor? What on Earth did Namu do to him? <em>"But that aside, _Mokuba_ I believe, we must see him, promptly, like, _now_," Shock went over him as Mokuba led the three of them through the doors,  
>"Top floor," were the last words spoken to them before they headed into the lift.<p>

* * *

><p>"I think it's gone well so far," Marik looked at Kiyo as she spoke,<br>_If by well she means scaring Mokuba and pretty much forcing her way into KaibaCorp then sure, it had gone wonderfully_, it was one of these few times Marik wished that his Yami still existed, not so he could cause pain to almost everyone in sight, just because he could hide in the back of his mind and block out the entire world around him. The elevator dinged, the lift flashing on the dial for the top floor,  
>"Kiyo, let us—" Marik had begun, only for her to run off before he had the chance to finish, he watched in horror as she kicked the door open,<br>"SETO KAIBA," she shouted at the top of her lungs, oh Marik _definitely_ wished he could hide away at that moment, only to avoid dying from sheer embarrassment.

* * *

><p><strong>AN **Sup everyone? Wait... like _no __one_ reads this. Gah. ANYWAY, my understanding of the term is a little sketchy but if Kiyo is a 'Mary Sue' it's unintentional, but I give her more emotions later don't stress. There _will_ be character development! Did I do the flashback okay? Sorry if I didn't. I apologise if Marik, Bakura, Kaiba/Seto or Mokuba were OOC at any point. That applies for all YGODM characters I use. I don't intentionally make them OOC (like the whole Akefia thing. Sorry but if you use that name I _will_ stab you... just saying) Anyhoo, as always **R&R~ (wow I make a lot of apologies...)**


	4. Excuse me Mr Kaiba

**Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters and all associated items/characters and settings belong to Kazuki Takahashi.  
><strong>**The only thing I actually own is Kiyo.**

**A/N: **I apologise this chapter is slightly shorter than the others. I will make up for it, I swear.

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><p>"So in short Mr Kaiba, we need your jet," she tapped the heel of her shoe on his desk, a fierce scowl framing his face, <em>Yup, <em>exactly_ like the old Seto_,  
>"Why on Earth would I lend my prized jet to some strange girl? Not to mention two idiots who ruined my Battle City Tournament and screwed my entire mind over in Egypt," she sighed, he sure was going to be difficult, <em>maybe not like the old Seto then<em>,  
>"Because Seto, we <em>need<em> it, like actually _need_ it. Must I honestly avert back to how I gained control of you in Egypt?" Kiyo got a reaction out of him then, a blink of the eyes and further creasing in his brow, "Past life, back when you were Pharaoh, fun times. Some people thought you and I were together," she laughed loudly at her own words, the tense feeling of the room only growing, were Bakura and Marik going to help at all?  
>"What are you babbling on about? You insane girl, you believe in those fairy tales that the Ishtars and Bakura told, seriously?" his voice was lathered with annoyance, whether it was because Kiyo was demanding his jet, had her shoes up on his nice clean desk, or had just strode in with Marik and Bakura not giving two fucks about proper etiquette; it wasn't as though she really cared.<br>"I don't believe them Seto, I _lived_ them, and there is a dramatic difference. You lived them too, you just don't remember, maybe a quick little ha—"  
>"No Kiyo." Bakura's deep tone cut her off, her letting out a low chuckle,<br>"You liked watching it," she heard him groan,  
>"That doesn't mean you can do it to his descendant, not just because he would kick us out but also because I would like to keep my appetite a little longer."<p>

* * *

><p>That was indeed a close escape, if Kiyo even mentioned how she'd bargained Priest Seto the night Bakura had attacked Atem for the first time then there would be no way in <em>hell<em> that they would get access to that jet. "Excuse me, Kaiba; is there anything we could give you in exchange for a loaning of the jet? We simply need it for a trip to Egypt which shouldn't last any longer than a week. We promise to keep it in good condition," he looked over at Kiyo, mouth twinging as he corrected himself, "Marik and I, I should say, promise to keep it in good condition." Kaiba drummed his fingers on the wooden desk watching Bakura as he pondered on the idea. A wave of relief and excitement washed over him as he watched Kaiba push back his chair and open up one of the desk drawers, a set of keys soon flung his way,  
>"One of the Kaiba Corp pilots will drive you to your destination, the jet is yours for no longer than two weeks, if I do not have it back by then I will file for robbery."<br>"Well 'Kura and I _are_ ancient thieves, Marik's done some stealing in his time too," he was beginning to get fed up with Kiyo's interruptions, _I will shut her up for good if she ruins all of this_,  
>"Thank you for your time Kaiba, as previously mentioned Marik and I will take good care of it."<br>"And tie Kiyo's hands behind her back so she doesn't do anything," Marik spoke up for the first time since the trio had entered Kaiba's office, Bakura transferred his gaze from where it snapped to Marik back towards the desk in front of him,  
>"Maybe tie her legs up as well, is it necessary that she goes with you?" Kiyo thumped her heels on the desk causing even Bakura to jump,<br>"It is most certainly fucking necessary I go! I came up with the plan, I am the only other person besides 'Kura who knows where Kul Elna is located, I highly doubt he even knows _where_ his body lays, I sure as hell do, I was the last fucking person to be with it!"

* * *

><p>Rage had boiled up inside her, she had to calm herself before Necrofear appeared and tore Seto into little tiny CEO shreds; a smirk flashed her face at the mere thought of it. It had been so long since Necrofear had come forth without her forcing it to, the idea of rage and anger almost sparking her Ka evidentially caused it all to cease within her senses. <em>The quicker we get out of here the sooner<em>, she thought letting out a hefty sigh. Everyone had seemed to stop watching her intently and resume normal stances, it was as though she still had the ability to stand out yet blend in at the same time. It was always key for her during the times Bakura-kun had let her join him in heists. She was always used to distract those around and still be able to leave unnoticed, they'd been such a great team together.  
>"Kiyo we're leaving," she snapped out of her thoughts as the sound of his deep voice, part of her was in shock upon looking at the white mess of hair and pale skin before her, then she remembered yet again<br>_We're not living like that anymore_.

As they walked back towards the car Marik threw the keys towards Bakura, Kiyo kept her head down in thought, originally she'd presumed seeing 'Kura-kun again would make her feel better. It reminded her of the past, too much, _way_ too much. She ached to go back in time and live there again, to rob markets stalls with him, to meet up with Namu at an oasis and laugh and joke about the ridiculous way those who live in the palace court went about their day. Most of all she missed the comfort, knowing that someone cared for her, she'd lacked that since Bakura had 'died' all that time ago. No one seemed to give her the time of day the way they used to, except Namu, but even he was destined to die one day, _I never thought it would be my fault though_,  
>"Hey Kiyo, are you okay?" she felt a hand brush her cheek along with something moist, <em><br>Oh fuck, I was crying_, slowly she raised her gaze, lavender eyes looking right at her, _Namu?_ _The voice was just like it…_  
>"Marik drop that fake voice, you're confusing her even more, get in the car both of you," <em>Marik<em>, she snapped back to reality with the sound of the revving engine,  
>"I need to stop daydreaming," she whispered quietly swiping Marik's hand from her face,<br>"I think I'll sit in the back with you Kiyo," Marik stated sliding in next to her, maybe he wasn't as bad as he seemed, after all he _was_ a descendant of Namu's. When they got in the back she stared at him briefly, _comfort_ she needed comfort. Back in Egypt she'd run to Namu all the time after Bakura had left them,  
><em>Could I do that now with Marik?<em> He _looked_ like Namu; fuck the guy even had the capability of _sounding_ just like Namu. _Ah to hell with it; _she thought before resting her head against his shoulder, a few tears managing to get out of her system.

* * *

><p>"Are you okay now?" He queried, she had been rather quiet the whole trip, just burying herself into his side. Marik found it strange at first, he'd only known her for a day; but part of him felt like he'd known the girl longer than that. That part is what caused him to question her stability in the first place, her body felt like a dead weight against his ribs. Gently shaking her he managed to get her alert enough to answer him,<br>"I-I'm alright I suppose, just… memories; that's all,"  
><em>Egyptian memories, Bakura related memories… <em>Namu_ related memories,_ he couldn't help it, he had to ask; he wanted to know more,  
>"Would you feel better if you spoke about it?" Bakura had already unlocked the front door and headed inside so it was just the two of them in the car still, the sun starting to set over the city skyline. She let out a sigh mixed with a breathy laugh,<br>"Marik if you're desperate to know about your past you can just ask outright if you want," an instinctive smile curved his lips to match that of hers,  
>"You can still tell em anyway right?" he whispered for no apparent reason,<br>"Sure thing, but can we get inside first?" the pair chuckled and Marik opened up his door, leading Kiyo straight inside and out of the harsh night.

He sat on his bed staring up at the ceiling, the night had begun to near the A.M.s but he couldn't care less. Kiyo had seemed a little more cheerful after dinner; she and Bakura had spoken about… 'Something', yet Ra knows what it was. But she seemed better afterwards, and as he heard the water in the bathroom shut off he knew she'd be coming into his room soon as promised. '_Marik I'll tell you some stories, I promise you. After dinner, after I talk to 'Kura _and_ after I shower. I need to clear my head first._' Marik had understood, everyone experiences times where they get shaken up, it was natural. For Ra's sake Marik spent around ten years of his life dealing with a split personality that would _kill_ people, he knew _exactly_ what it was like to have to clear your head. "Are you seriously waiting for me?" her voice broke through his train of thought and he jolted in shock,  
>"Uh well… yeah I suppose, I wasn't really doing anything so um… yeah, you could say I was waiting," he rambled as he sat up, Kiyo looked more cheerful now, despite looking like a drowned rat at the same time. Her wet hair clinging to her black singlet made to match the black and white shorts she wore. The pair of them bore quite dark clothes, Marik opting more for the dark shirt and khaki pants instead of the normal purple belly-shirt. But none of that mattered, what matter were the stories Kiyo was going to tell him whilst Bakura did whatever it was Bakura does in spare time,<br>_Probably porn, but then again he doesn't seem the type to, probably watches the Saw movies, yeah… that seems more like him, blood and gore_.  
>"Marik," he snapped back to reality again, he kept zoning out tonight, "What do you want to know?" he shrugged, moving his legs into a crossed position; resting his elbows on his calves and chin upon his hands,<br>"Tell me as much as you want, just start from the beginning,"


	5. Story Time

**A/N Sorry for such the long wait! Hope it was worth it heh. Just an update though; I have got this finished, the last two chapters (6 and 7) are with my editor Sparkles-san so yeah. Once she had them edited they shall be posted! YAY**

* * *

><p>Kiyo smiled; Marik was easily pleased. There was no doubt he wanted Namu related tales- tales she would have to censor in order to not make herself feel even worse than she did, '<em>Just don't tell him how Namu died'<em>. Yeah, that would solve it. "Okay then, I'll tell you how Bakura and I first met,"

**Kiyo sat in a cluster of rocks in the outskirts of Kul Elna, some bread and a bag filled with water being her only companions. She'd stolen them from the city; stealing from a city of thieves appeared somewhat ironic in the young child's mind but as if she cared. It was needed for her to survive. Her parents had abandoned her long ago and she was made to fend for herself. **

**Her head perked up and ears pricked at the sound of horses coming closer, instinct took over and she hid behind the largest of the rocks.**

**"The city is just there; remember what we must do- the Pharaoh must never know about this. Get the villagers and lead them into the chamber. We need them in order to construct the Items." **

**The young girls brow creased in confusion. 'Items', 'the people'… How were they going to make people into Items? **

**Akhenaden led the troop into the city. The final few on horseback weld torches blazing and began to set fire to buildings. **

**Kiyo sat shaking in fear as the screams began to sound throughout the nearby city. Tears started stinging at the edges of her eyes and she huddled her legs into her chest. She was confused as to why she was crying. Why would she care about the people of the Kul Elna? She lived alone, she had nothing to grieve over so why was she crying? Fear. That's what. Fear: fear that Akhenaden would find her and kill her as well- that was if he was killing those people. She had no idea what was going on yet it must have been bad, judging by the screams. **

**She must have fallen asleep as when her eyes opened the sky had blackened to a dark mix of blue and purple. Just a short distance away her ears alerted her to the sound of bare feet hitting the sand at an alarming pace. **

**Curiosity urged her to step out and begin walking towards that of the now hollow Kul Elna. Kiyo hadn't made it further than several steps until her body collided with another of her size, both plummeting backwards into the sand.**

**"I-I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, please don't tell them I'm alive. They've taken everyone already, my family, my friends; I don't want them to take me! I don't want my blood used to make some shiny toy…" **

**It was only then that Kiyo's mind clicked. The child was from the village, the **_**boy**_** to be more precise. Tears were streaming down his face, hair in a frenzied mess. What he had said played over in her head. No wonder the guy was stressed- he'd just witnessed his family and friends being killed in cold blood. **

**"I won't hurt you, I promise, I have no reason to. If what they say about your village is true then we are one of the same." **

**His sobs stilled as he moved to sit in the sand beside her,**

**"Touzoku?" his query stumped her train of thoughts, her initial response being a shake of the head.**

**"No: Sozoku. I only steal to survive, for I too have been left alone." the boy let out a small 'oh' sound and nothing more for that small moment, silence cascading upon the pair. **

**She pushed a strand of her brown hair behind her ear, watching the small boy out the corner of her eye. He wasn't small, he was slightly bigger than her. An immediate guess would place him around her age, **

"**Touzoku, when did the guards leave?" **

**He looked at her with a frown on his face, eyebrows tightly knitted together, "They haven't left, they're waiting for those stupid Items to materialize," **

**Not knowing how else to respond, she gave him a simple nod. **

**"My name's Bakura by the way," **

'_**Bakura…' **_**"I'm Kiyo," she extended her palm towards him and he eyed it weirdly. "No traps, just shake it." **

**Hesitantly he outstretched his arm and clasped his hand around hers, two shakes and let go. **

**"Are you hungry? Thirsty?" **

**The boy, Bakura, nodded slowly. **

**"I'll be right back, or you could come with me. Might be a bit safer than here; Akhenaden can easily see us here if he wants." **

**At those words Bakura shot straight up and grabbed onto Kiyo's arm despite being taller than her,  
>"Please don't let him get me. Please- I'm begging you." <strong>

**Kiyo began running towards the rocks which were her home that night, Bakura hot on her tail. The pair quickly leapt over the smaller rocks and hid behind the large one which concealed what Kiyo labelled as her treasures. **

**"I thought you said you were Sozoku?" **

**She let out a small giggle as she handed Bakura some of the bread, "I am, these are necessities; it's only bread and water." **

**Bakura nodded swallowing hard before he spoke, "Yes but no petty thief would take this; they'd take things like an apple not a half a loaf of bread and someone's water."**

**"It's my water –well, is now. I stole that a while ago… the bag I mean. Every time I head back into Kul Elna I fill it up. Sometimes I walk away with only an apple like you said but as far as I'm concerned, I am nothing but a petty thief. You might as well address me as Sozoku-sama." **

**Bakura let out a small laugh and she found herself smiling at the sound he'd made, "I'll stick with your name provided you don't call me Touzoku-sama either." **

**her subtle smile broke into a grin and she broke off some of the bread for herself, "You look exhausted Bakura. Sleep. I've had my rest I'll watch out for you." **

**Right on cue he let out a strained yawn raising his arms high above his head, "I suppose that is an offer I can't refuse Kiyo-chan."**

* * *

><p>Bakura lay on his bed, eyes staring up at his ceiling. He wouldn't admit it to her but he was listening in on the tales Kiyo was telling Marik.<p>

He remembered that night at Kul Elna too well, the flames and smoke would never escape his senses, etched into his mind forever. Yet one good thing had come out of that night: _Kiyo_. The only reason he didn't decide to do away with himself after the massacre and instead enacted a revenge plan against the Palace.

He remembered how they had barely any self-defence. Two young children wandering the Egyptian sands, their Ka's not even strong enough to defeat something like a snake or scorpion if it threatened them. So they had to train… and train they did.

**"Kiyo hurry up!" he thumped his foot in the sand watching as she came closer, **

**"Not my fault you're faster than me 'Kura-san," **

**He chuckled and ruffled the young girl's hair, "Try running faster then? Well," he turned around taking in the surroundings. They'd finally gotten far out enough to not cause danger to any villages. "Show me your Ka, Kiyo-chan." He watched as the colour slipped from her face. **

**She was intimidated by the power the boy held and she'd told him that yet he insisted in helping her strengthen it. The air around her rippled as the monster came forth. They'd named it Necrofear. Ra knows why, it seemed cool and after all they were only in their young teens. **

**"You did it," he smiled. **

**She looked up at him and shrugged, "It's not nearly as powerful as your Diabound. You could crush it in minutes…" **

**Smile faltering he let his own Ka branch out, the white shaded snake like creature acting as a sort of umbrella over the pair protecting them from the harsh Egyptian sun. "I promise you that one day you will be as strong -if not stronger- than I am. I promise," he whispered quietly in her ear, a tiny laugh being what she gave back.**

**"But 'Kura, that'd be silly, then what good would the future 'King of Thieves' be if he could be defeated by the Ka of a mere girl?" **

**The older of the pair laughed quietly, his eyes veering to the shadow monster behind the girl,  
>"As long as I put up a fair fight towards you, then that is all I care about." <strong>

Not long after, they were able to tear down anything that came their way.

In the beginning she had helped him: where to find food, water, best places to hide during sand storms, how to protect oneself at night. After all, she was the one who had been abandoned as she'd told him. Yet their roles reversed, his shady memory coming to the conclusion they were eleven or twelve- _him_ eleven or twelve, _her_ around ten or eleven.

He sighed rolling over to stare out the window. It wasn't long until they'd return to Egypt (and possibly) return to the way things once were.

* * *

><p>Marik was staring at her on full alert, she'd managed to grab his undivided attention with only a small part of hers and Bakura's past. "So if that's how you and Bakura met," he began, she watched his expression shift as he spoke, "How did you two meet Namu?"<p>

Kiyo blinked several times in shock. Sure, she _had_ expected the boy to ask her sooner or later how she and the grumpy guy next door had encountered his past life, but what shocked her more was his somewhat shyness in the question. "I think 'Kura-kun tells that better than I do,"

His face lightened considerably at her words.

"Oi, Bakura! Get in here and tell Marik!"

Moments later a show of white hair and pale skin joined them in the room. "Tell Marik what?" he smirked, slurring his words slightly.

"Don't play with me; I know you were listening. Tell him how we met Namu." She snapped at him, noticing Marik observe the both of them as they spoke.

"Fine if you insist, but it was due to _your_ mistake," he smiled sheepishly and she rolled her eyes.

* * *

><p>"Well Marik are you sure you want to know?" he queried leaning close to the Egyptian who showed no signs of discomfort.<p>

"Yes Bakura, I do because I'm curious you limey." Marik replied bitterly, Bakura snickering at his choice of words.

"Ryou is the British one, not me. Though I will admit I have grown rather accustomed to the accent I know possess." He retorted hissing with the sounds at the end, "Alas, on with the tale I suppose."

Marik sat up eager to hear what Bakura was about to say.

Bakura looked over to Kiyo smirking before he sat on the bed, "But as I said, it was all _Kiyo's fault_,"

She bent forward to slap him across his forearm making him elicit a dark laugh.

"Okay I'll stop. I'll stop. Just… calm down. Anyway," He cleared his throat and leant back against the head board. "It began one night when Kiyo and I were out doing what we did best: stealing…"

**He felt the constant grip on the sleeve of his cloak as a way of her letting him know she was right there, the pair of them going through the village surrounding the Palace Court and taking anything they could land their fingers upon. **

**The two halted in their tracks as a scent flew past them. **_**Food. Someone **_**was cooking and their window was **_**wide**_** open. The stark patch of light on the dark sands certified it for them. **

"**Let go but follow me, remember who's more experienced here?" he added the last part sarcastically hoping to make her smile and erase some of her nerves. **

**Instead, all she did was roll her eyes and spit something right back just as sarcastically. "Remember who has the scar under his eye from getting caught?" she chuckled with her own words and he sighed.**

"**Shut up and stay put then." He crouched down and began to move along the wall towards the open window. Once below it, he began to feel something crawling up his leg. Warily he peered down- a scorpion. "Shit!" He whispered, gently pulling it off and throwing it away… only to have it land **_**right next to Kiyo**_**.**

"**FUCK!" Her voice echoed in their surroundings.**

"**Namu go check to see what that noise was. I'm in no mood to deal with bandits tonight." A woman's voice was heard above him followed by a 'Yes sister' from the boy she must have been talking to. **

**Bakura glanced over at Kiyo and motioned for her to come join him where he was. They listened quietly as footsteps could be heard on the sand.**

"**There's nothing here Isis." The voice came from a boy roughly Kiyo's age. He had blonde hair down to his shoulders and his clothes were **_**much**_** cleaner than Bakura's own.**

"**Just look anyway." **

**Beside him Kiyo looked up at the windowsill with a worried expression. **

"**She hasn't seen us so it's fine," he muttered to her, immediately regretting not lowering his tone. **

**The boy –**_**Namu-**_** if he remembered correctly, looked over in their direction, purple eyes staring at them in shock. **

**Upon reflex Bakura tackled the boy to the ground poising the knife just under his captive's neck before dragging him into the shadows. "Kiyo." **

**The boy struggled against his grip and he pressed the knife closer as a warning.**

"**What do you want me to do?" She asked making sure to keep her voice low.**

"**Get cloth and gag him, we can't afford to have him scream that'll only cause the sister to come out." At that moment he was using his forearm as a gag to keep the captive quiet which was resulting in bite marks upon his skin. **

**Kiyo tore off part of her skirt and brought it to where his arm was. "Okay; go," she whispered, jamming the cloth in place before the boy had a chance to scream. **

**Bakura used his body weight to keep the boy still as the moved further into isolation. "Now when I let you go, promise not to run, and when I remove the gag, promise not to scream."**

"**Otherwise that pretty little knife will go right through your neck and these white sands will turn red, you got that?" Kiyo finished his threat with the same devilish tone. **

**The boy began to whimper in his arms and nodded slowly. **

"**Okay, I think we can let him go Bakura," **

**The boy made a noise at the mention of the Thief King's name yet it went by ignored. Bakura let him fall to the ground leaving Kiyo to remove the cloth and check for damage. He leant back against the wall wiping his dagger on the cheaply made shenti around his waist before holding it up to see the blade glint in the moonlight.**

"**D-Did you say your name was B-Bakura?" **

**The thief peered down at the captive whom had finally plucked the courage to speak. "No, I didn't- she did. But despite that, what on Earth does it matter to you?" He kept a stern expression as the man fiddled with his own clothing shrugging.**

"**B-Because there's talk around the village about a thief called Bakura, and I was wondering if it was you a—"**

"**What about a girl, do they talk about a girl?" Kiyo cut off the boy's sentence before he could finish.**

"**Kiyo, let the man finish his sentence," Bakura spat at her and she rolled her eyes in response.**

"**I'm allowed to be curious; I do just as much as you and get out **_**clean**_** but **_**you**_** get all the recognition," **

**He sighed at her bitter tone before turning his direction back to the other. "Captive, what's your name?" he queried. **

"**Namu… and I'm **_**not**_** your captive." The look on Namu's face was one of determination.**

"**Seems like you are and you'll be dead by sunrise unless you're of some value to us. Kiyo," he motioned for her to search Namu for anything worth the slightest bit of value.**

"**Don't squirm and I won't take as long," **

**Bakura watched on as usual as her fingers danced over the boy feeling for traces of jewellery or valuable cloth. **

"**Nothing 'Kura." She spoke bitterly into the sands. **

"**Kill him," He snickered chucking her the dagger.**

"**NO, NO… my-my sister, she has the Millennium Necklace, she works for the Pharaoh, please… don't kill me." **

**Bakura lifted a hand to stop Kiyo's movements, the blade mere centimetres away from the boy's neck.**

"**The Millennium Necklace you say… Do you have any idea how those items were created, **_**Noble**_**?" He bent down to speak right in the man's face, if he was aware of the somewhat noble status he would have killed the boy straight away.**

"**I'm not a noble, my sister may be but I'm not. As for your question, they were said to be made by some magic the—"**

"**If by magic they mean the souls of my village, then yes."**

"**Mine too." **

**He ignored Kiyo's small interjection and was instead focusing on watching Namu's face screw up in discomfort below him. "That Pharaoh massacred my people to get those items, but… I can exact revenge on him you know. If you can help us, then I'll let you live. You see, young **_**No**_**-Namu." He corrected himself. Now was not the time for insults; he was attempting to gain the boy's trust not scar him for life with fear. "If the seven Millennium Items are placed in the table used to create the Ra damned things, then the souls of my people can be laid to rest. You can be of assistance to us, Kiyo and me, seeing as we can't exactly get the items ourselves without a great deal of injuries." He pointed to the scar on his face, out the corner of his eye he spotted the smirk on Kiyo's face, she knew exactly where Bakura was headed with his words. "So if you want to live and be on our good side, you can help us get them. After all, you must be a little be terrified, surely you've heard more than just a few tales in order to remember my name," Namu nodded as Bakura rose back onto his feet.**

"**So you'll help us?" Kiyo questioned, Namu responding with only a nod. "Get whatever information you can, meet us out here again in a week's time. See you then," she purred walking off, Bakura giving Namu one last glare before following.**

Bakura watched as Marik took in the entirety of what he'd just been told, finding it hard to suppress his laughter at Marik's first question.

"So my past life… became friends with you… after you tried to kill him and then threatened him?"

"Yeah basically." Kiyo bluntly responded. Bakura let out a yawn and stretched his arms above his head.  
>"I'll leave you two for now. I <em>was<em> getting to sleep before required to tell the tale of Kiyo's scorpion fear." He chuckled to himself at the look on her face- one filled with pure hatred and disgust at his choice of words.


End file.
